Raw Chef Christina: May 2011

I have been enjoying locally grown young spring beet greens in my smoothies. I get them from Fredericka, a lovely local organic farmer who includes the little tiny beets when she pulls up the beet greens for me. I include the tiny beets in my smoothie too. I started reading about the exceptional nutrition in beets and found that they contain many nutrients not found in any other foods. You can read about the benefits of beets here. The nutrients in beets and most foods break down rapidly if exposed to heat so I wanted to share a delicious way to enjoy beets raw. I was not a big fan of beets before I found that I could eat them raw in this delightful, colorful and easy to make salad. It will keep well for several days.

SPRING BEET SALAD

Seves 2-4

4 medium beets

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 clove garlic (optional)

Wash the beets and cut off the root and the top. Trim around the top to remove any tough bits. Use a spiralizer, mandoline, or a julienne slicer like the one Kyocera makes to julienne the beets into small crunchy strips. (Click on spiralizer and Kyocera above to see the products that are two of my favorite kitchen tools.)

First, toss the beets with enough lemon juice to coat them. This will start to soften them. Add the olive oil, parsley and garlic. Let the salad sit to meld the flavors and soften the beets a bit. I usually make the salad in the afternoon and serve it for dinner. You can double the recipe and enjoy the salad for lunch too. Garnish with beautiful salad greens and enjoy!

Raw Chef Christina Kitchen Tips

Large amounts of kale picked fresh from the organic farm can be stored in a bucket with several inches of water over night until you have a chance to rinse and drain the leaves. Place in large reusable plastic bags with a kitchen towel spread inside the bag on one or both sides of the bag to absorb moisture. This will keep your greens fresh for up to 10 days.
Rehydrate wilted greens by placing them in a tub of cold filtered tap water until they are crisp again. Place them in a colander to drain. Wrap in a few paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Place in a plastic or veggie bag in the fridge.
When using citrus such as lemons, limes or oranges, zest the peel into a bowl and let dry on your counter. When dry, pack into seperate jars for use in recipes such a Raw Biscotti or Live Whipped Cream.

Almond Milk

1 cup raw almonds, soaked
3 cups spring water

Soak 2 cups raw unpasteurized almonds in a quart jar filled with water for 12 hours in a corner of your kitchen out of direct sunlight. You might have to soak a bit longer in cooler weather, until you see the white tip of the almond sprout just barely poke through the skin. Rinse several times and cover with water.

Place 1 cup of rinsed and drained almonds in a blender with the water. Blend on high. To separate the "milk" from the pulp, squeeze the blended mixture through a mesh nut bag. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Save the almond pulp by freezing it in a large plastic bag for use in recipes like pizza crust, crackers, Focaccia bread or Biscotti that I teach in my classes.

To sweeten almond milk, rinse the blender and place almond milk, 3 pitted dates and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and blend.

Store your jar of soaked almonds for up to two weeks in the fridge, rinsing daily.

Green Power Smoothie

2 big handfuls of spinach, kale or dandelion greens
1 chopped organic apple
1 peeled organic orange
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
3 1/2 cups fresh or frozen mango, pineapple or peaches
1/2 frozen peeled banana (optional)
2 tablespoons Healthforce Lecithin
3 cups filtered water

Combine ingredients in an 8 cup blender or Vitamixer, use more fruit if you have a big blender container. If using kale, remove the leaf from the stem. Add water, blend until smooth. Use a little more water if needed. Always use an apple and an orange, they make the smoothie creamy and the orange balances any bitterness the greens may have. Blend well and pour into quart jars. Drinking two quarts a day or more is optimum. Always use organic produce if available.

These smoothies are a great "to-go" meal packed in an insulated bag with a few apples, raw cookies or brownies you are ready to go!

Kale Chips by Raw Chef Christina

1-2 bunches kale
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup Tamari
1 cup water
2 green onions (optional)
1 clove garlic (optional)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Healthforce Nutritionals Lecithin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder

Cut the stems off the bottom of the kale leave. If the leaves are large cut them crosswise in half. Wash and dry the leaves, set aside.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and thick so it will stick to the kale leaves. You may add more water if it is too thick, it should be the consistency of hummus.

Place the sesame mixture in a bowl and place next to the dry kale leaves. Stack 2 dehydrator trays with screen mesh only nearby. Rub the mixture onto each kale leaf with your hands to coat them ensuring that the front and the back are well coated.

Place each leaf on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 118 degrees for 6 hour or until completely dry.

Spread any remaining sesame mixture on a teflex tray and dehydrate until completely dry. Scrape off and crumble into a jar to use as "cheesy crumble" on salads.

Tip: Most lecithin available in stores or bulk bins is bright yellow and rancid. The only truly health promoting lecithin I have found is from Healthforce Nutritionals. It may be purchased in heath food stores for $22.95 or from Raw Chef Christina for $18.

Peach Raspberry Cobbler

Topping:
1 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 dried coconut flakes
1/2 cup raisins or dates
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pulse in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Peach Filling:
6 cups ripe peaches or 2 lbs. frozen peaches, thawed
8 pitted soft dates
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla (non-alcohol)

Filling: Dice peaches into chunks. Place 2 cups of the peaches and remaining filling ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Pour over diced peaches and add one or two cups of fresh raspberries if available. Toss to coat ingredients and place in shallow pan or individual dishes.

Topping: Place nuts and coconut flakes in a food processor and pulse to a fine meal. Add dates and pulse until mixture is well combined. Crumble half the topping on top of cobbler. Place in refrigerator for an hour until chilled. Save the other half of the topping for the next cobbler you make because everyone will be begging for more!